The Real "Siege" of the Gaza Strip

Egypt has not only turned Gaza into an "open-air prison." It has prevented the delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip before and during the war.

Last year, more than 100 Muslim scholars signed a petition accusing Egypt and Arab countries of participating in the siege of Gaza by keeping Egypt's Rafah border crossing with Gaza closed and preventing medical and humanitarian aid.

Egypt does not want anyone to talk about its blockade of Gaza. At the cease-fire discussions taking place in Cairo, the Palestinians have been asked not to talk about the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

The Egyptians want the world to blame only Israel for the "siege" on the Gaza Strip, and turn it into an Israeli, and not an Egyptian, problem.

While Egypt continues to impose strict restrictions, hundreds of trucks of food and basic supplies — and ambulances and medical staff from Israel — are being transported into Gaza through border crossings with Israel.

Whatever is ultimately decided, Hamas's leaders will find ways to smuggle weapons into Gaza: their goal is to destroy Israel.

Recent calls for lifting the "siege" on the Gaza Strip have ignored that Hamas's main demand, even more than for an airport or seaport, is that Egypt reopen the Rafah border crossing, the Palestinians' only gateway to the Arab world.

Hamas wants open borders because it wants to pursue its ultimate goal of "liberating all Palestine, from the river to the sea." Now that it has lost most of its smuggling tunnels as a result of Egyptian military operations, Hamas is searching for other ways to bring weapons into the Gaza Strip.

Hamas's leaders know that their chances of getting an airport or a seaport are extremely low. In the past, material brought into Gaza has included mainly weapons, cement taken to build attack-tunnels into Israel, and dual-use material.

Much of this was either brought into Gaza through smuggling tunnels, or else through Egypt's Rafah terminal, along its Gaza border which is nearly nine miles [14 km] long.

Egypt's Rafah terminal with Gaza, however, has been closed most of the time since Hamas seized control over the Gaza Strip in July 2007, while border crossings with Israel, such as Kerem Shalom and Erez, have remained open.

The Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza, January 2009. (Source: International Transport Workers' Federation)

Even during the current Operation Protective Edge, the Egyptians rejected demands to reopen the Rafah terminal indefinitely. In the first two weeks of the war, the Egyptians did open the terminal briefly – but only to allow Egyptians citizens and some foreigners trapped in the Gaza Strip to leave.

Facing increased criticism at home and in the Arab world, the Egyptian authorities also permitted some wounded Palestinians to cross through the terminal for medical treatment in Egyptian hospitals.

Egypt has not only turned the Gaza Strip into an "open air prison." It has also prevented many activists and countries from delivering humanitarian and medical aid to the Palestinians of the Gaza Strip, both before and during the war.

Egypt does not want anyone to talk about its blockade and other restrictions against the Gaza Strip.

At the cease-fire discussions currently taking place in Cairo between Israel and Hamas through Egyptian mediators, the Palestinians have been asked not to talk about Egypt's Rafah border crossing.

The Egyptians want the world to blame only Israel for the "siege" on the Gaza Strip. They continue to ignore the fact that Hamas's main demand continues to be the reopening of the Rafah border crossing.

Hamas and the Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip have apparently chosen to comply with the Egyptian demand to remain silent about the continued closure of the Rafah border crossing.

In fact, the Palestinians seem to have lost any hope that Egypt would ever agree to the indefinite opening of the terminal. That is why Hamas is insisting, now more than ever, on an airport and seaport in the Gaza Strip that would serve as an alternative to the Rafah border crossing.

Palestinian sources said that the Egyptians have encouraged the Palestinians to insist on their demand regarding an airport and seaport.

When the Egyptians say that they support the Palestinian demand for lifting the "siege" on the Gaza Strip, they mean that the Palestinians are entitled to any border crossing except the Rafah terminal. Egypt would like the Palestinians to have their own airport and seaport so they would never have to use an Egyptian border crossing with the Gaza Strip.

Moreover, the Egyptians would like to see the Gaza Strip turned into an Israeli, and not Egyptian, problem.

In an attempt to divert attention from Cairo's responsibility for the blockade, Egypt's Foreign Ministry issued a statement this week calling on Israel to lift the "siege."

"Egypt insists on the lifting of the Israeli siege," the statement read. "We are continuing our efforts to end the inhumane siege imposed by Israel on the Gaza Strip."

Today, it is a sign of hypocrisy that Egypt is calling on Israel to lift the "siege" on the Gaza Strip.

The statement, of course, made no reference to Egypt's role in the "siege." Nor did the ministry mention the tough security measures taken by Egypt recently, including the destruction of more than 1600 smuggling tunnels along its shared border with the Gaza Strip over the past year.

In the last three weeks, the Egyptian army destroyed 20 tunnels. This occurred as the Israel Defense Forces were also targeting tunnels inside the Gaza Strip.

Yet this has not prevented the Egyptians from continuing with their efforts to mislead the world about the situation in the Gaza Strip.

Alarmed by growing criticism of Egypt's measures against the Gaza Strip, an Egyptian diplomat described the allegations as "lies and fabrications."

The Egyptian diplomat's defense of his country came as representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Arab Red Crescent denounced Cairo's refusal to allow humanitarian and medical aid into the Gaza Strip during the war as "unjust and incapacitating."

It also followed a call by a Palestinian foreign ministry committee to reopen the Rafah border crossing to save the wounded. The committee also condemned the closure of the Rafah as a "breach of international law and human values."

Last March, the Egyptian authorities deported 62 Western women who arrived in Cairo to protest against the closure of the Rafah border crossing. Egyptian Gen. Zakariya Hussein praised the authorities for deporting the French and Belgian women. "Egypt should not be used as a gate to other countries such as Libya, Palestine and Sudan," he said.

The anti-Egyptian campaign reached its peak last year, when more than 100 Muslim scholars signed a petition warning against the "crime" of keeping the Rafah border crossing shut.

The petition accused Egypt and other Arab countries of participating in the siege on the Gaza Strip by keeping the Rafah terminal closed and preventing medical and humanitarian aid, and the destroying the smuggling tunnels.

It is no secret that Egypt's President, Abdel Fattah Sisi, sees Hamas, an offshoot of Muslim Brotherhood, as a threat to Egypt's national security.

Last year, a retired Egyptian army general, Sami Hassan, talked about a plan by Sisi to tighten the siege on the Gaza Strip and bring down Hamas. Hassan said that Sisi's main goal is to prompt Palestinians in the Gaza Strip to rise against Hamas. Egypt has allocated $750 million to carry out its plan and bring the Palestinian Authority back to the Gaza Strip.

According to Palestinian sources, the Egyptians have over the past few weeks expressed fierce opposition into turning the Rafah terminal into another official border crossing with the Gaza Strip. The Egyptians, the sources said, are worried that the reopening of the Rafah terminal would facilitate terrorist attacks by radical Islamist groups against Egyptian targets, especially in Sinai.

While the Egyptians continue to impose strict restrictions, hundreds of trucks of food and basic supplies are being transported into the Gaza Strip through border crossings with Israel. This is happening even as even rockets are being launched at the Kerem Shalom border crossing. A total of 2,772 trucks entered the Gaza Strip through Kerem Shalom since July 8. Meanwhile, only a few trucks were allowed to enter through Rafah.

Israel has also allowed ambulances and medical staff into the Gaza Strip over the past few weeks, while the Egyptian side of the border crossing has been closed. On August 8, there were a total of 169 ambulance transfers through the Erez border crossing with Israel. In addition, a total of 38 medical professionals from Israel and the West Bank have entered the Gaza Strip over the past two weeks. The Egyptians did not send even one physician to the Gaza Strip during the same period.

The Egyptian blockade and severe security measures against the Gaza Strip, including the closure of the Rafah border crossing, are part of the reasons why the last war erupted. But the Egyptian authorities do not want to accept any responsibility. Instead, they are doing their utmost to shift the blame toward Israel.

Whatever is ultimately decided, Hamas's leaders will find ways to smuggle weapons into Gaza because their outspokenly main goal is to destroy Israel and the Jews.

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14 Reader Comments

kantor • Aug 21, 2014 at 21:02

They say their aim (in negotiations/fightings) is to stop "siege" on Gaza. But solid news shows they shoot from Gaza to international border passages, preventing the regular daily passing of food, medicines& gasoline incoming through Israel into Gaza!(Security cameras 10/8/14 at "Kerem-shalom" international passage (published by hadashot 2- Mako)

Another illogical thing about this "siege" claim is probably this:If there was really a "siege" on Gaza, how did they managed to collect so many specific materials (cement and iron) for building so many attack tunnels in Gaza (they are so proud of?) or to collect/build so many missiles they shoot from Gaza (150-300 a day , for more than 30 days now, according to the news)??

Don't they actually mean they want an airport and naval port and a free passage, for importing fighter-plains and battle ships? (or other big killing machines that surly can't be imported through tunnels or controlled border passages?).

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Ian • Aug 14, 2014 at 22:51

With all respect, I think you may be wrong here. On the face of it, everything is as said, but when you think further you may think the Egyptians and the Israelis are working towards a common goal of destroying Islamists.

Media-wise, the Israelis are always going to take a beating, so any extra pressure from Eygpt closing Rafah is probably neither here nor there.

However, tactically and militarily, closing Rafah helps both Israel and Eygpt. Hamas and it's Egyptian sympathisers are cut off from each other. Israel knows it doesn't have to worry about sympathisers and material support getting through. They are fighting on one front instead of two. They have tighter control because they only have to worry about their own border crossings. Both parties benefit from this arrangement.

All in all, this appears a backdoor arrangement that suits them both. The Egyptians can't be seen to be to close to the Israelis and the Israelis, as we know, are already to blame for everything, so why not play it this way?

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Andrew H • Aug 12, 2014 at 23:24

I just don't understand the Israelis. All the years that Hamas kept lobbing rockets at Israel, Israel kept sending them food, power, medical supplies, perhaps water, too. It would seem that without ever firing a shot, they could have brought Gaza to its knees by simply cutting off all supplies. They could have simply said, "Get rid of Hamas and the rockets and we'll start the flow of supplies again."

You don't feed your enemy while he fires rockets at you. Remember, Mr. Netanyahu, you are not a Christian, you are not supposed to turn the other cheek. Even Christians don't do that anymore.

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dp • Aug 12, 2014 at 21:44

2772 trucks * 50 feet per truck = 26.25 miles.

A marathon of aid.

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Interested Reader • Aug 12, 2014 at 21:11

Having a working border crossing is not a right, it is a privilege. To earn the privilege, the party wanting entrance into another country needs to behave itself. If it does not behave itself, sorry, time out chair. Life is a game. If you don't play by the rules, you sit on the bench. Gaza is not a prison. It's a timeout bench used by multiple parties to "get their way" when it is convenient to "get their way". Who really understands this family fight anymore? Could they not just say - we forgot what we were fighting about, and start to plant a tree?

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steven L • Aug 12, 2014 at 16:16

The West deliberately refuses to admit that Hamas and other fanatics are the real OCCUPIERS of Gaza. Egypt wants Israel to demilitarize Gaza.

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Freddy • Aug 12, 2014 at 15:34

The various governments have mostly decided that a 2-state plan is the solution. The primary obstacle is instability in the PA. Abbas is 79 years old and nobody knows who or what will follow him. The worst case would be a Hamas or ISIS government over both the West Bank and Gaza. So Israel cannot commit to a 2-state plan.

But if Hamas is eliminated, a more moderate Arab leadership is likely, and a 2-state plan becomes possible. So I think the shared goal is to eliminate Hamas. Israel does its part, Egypt and the PA do the rest.

The subtext is the desire to suppress the Iran-Hezbollah-Assad-Hamas axis, of course, in favor of the Israel-Egypt-Saudi-Gulf State alliance.

My own suspicion is that the 2-state plan will result in a wider and bloodier war anyway, with the PA supplanted by Hezbollah, ISIS, whoever is running Syria, and maybe even Hamas. But the 2-staters in the governments don't see it this way.

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Elisheva • Aug 12, 2014 at 11:48

Thank you for putting everything in a proper perspective. I certainly can understand why Egypt does not want the Rafah Border open and that does keep things more peaceful for Egypt and the Sinai area. It is not very neighborly to let Israel take all of the heat from the International community. Is that the best support Egypt can give Israel in a war against their common enemy? I would not think the PA would be much of an improvement for Gazans over Hamas: as they are in a unity government, steal the aid money for themselves, incite terror and are anti-Israel. It is like trading one poison for another. Is that the best all these lost lives and destruction can achieve? Why not have Egypt incorporate Gaza and execute all the Hamas leaders along with the Muslim Brotherhood? Who would question their actions? Israel is under the world's attention and has no mandate to act even in self-defense.

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Lily LINDSAY • Aug 12, 2014 at 10:51

So where do we go from here. Seems like stalemate UNTIL Hamas can honestly have the Palestinians welfare at heart.

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Abraham Walfish • Aug 12, 2014 at 10:04

I know about loving your neighbor but I wonder if it extends to neighbors who are trying to exterminate you. It's hard to think of another country that would assist its neighbor while a war is in progress. On the contrary, the warring opponent would be required to import its food, fuel etc the same way it imported 800,000 tons of cement which it used to build offensive tunnels into Israel.

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Dean • Aug 12, 2014 at 06:25

"Gaza Strip ... an "open air prison." No it is a open air terror camp. Once again the Israelis are blamed for closing its doors (when those doors are and always have been open - too open) to people who want to destroy Israel and the world allows the propaganda to grow (encouraging anti-Semitism) - and Israel says not a word because they are so busy and eager to seek accommodation and peace. I say that Gaza is a defeated hell-hole of Hamas' making and design. The Hamas leaders are defeated immoral, bloodthirsty pigs and must not get any concessions and reward for killing Jews and waging endless war against Israel. Hamas can go to hell along with ISIS, Hezbollah, Iran, the Saudis, Qatar, Turkey and all the sponsors of terrorism in the world. The supporters helped to make the mess and they can pick up the pieces, pay the bills and welcome the terrorists into their own countries.

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MikeKu Dean • Sep 17, 2014 at 21:07

The above comments are cogent and well written. Allow me to remind you what Anwar Sadat said to Menachem Begin during the Camp David negotiations when Begin offered the Sinai and Gaza. Said Anwar "everything but Gaza," no fool he. This cesspool of humanity has been a problem for millennia. During the war, as writers correctly state, Israel continued to supply Gaza with food, medical needs, electricity, etc. What country, as authors correctly states, is at war with another entity whose bottom line is to destroy it, and continues to make sure that the population survives? If the world loves Gaza so much and Hamas, let it take care of this scourge. On the other hand, if Israel just mentions cutting off anything, the anti-Semitic world screams bloody murder. And now, Israel is investigating itself for possible miscues during the war; give moi a break. Shana Tova to all.

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Rhonda • Aug 12, 2014 at 06:05

It is not true that the Rafah border crossing has been closed since 2007. I live in the Sinai, so I would know, as it is often a highlighted in the local news when the border is closed and open. Israel is responsible for the siege of Gaza, and somewhat justified in their siege. There is a thing called the Camp David agreement that limits the number of security officials Egypt is permitted to have in the North Sinai as well.

The fact remains that Hamas is a terrorist organization, and this dispute is between Israel and Palestine. So Egypt is damned if they help and damned if they don't. The 1st solution to peace and co-existence side by side, is to get rid of Hamas. There is an ISIS training camp in Gaza, and the world is ignoring this. Hamas has a factory making copies of the Egyptian army uniform. Egypt has to look to it's own National Security first, and the fact that Hamas and ISIS try to use the Rafah crossing for smuggling weapons and militants, gives them the right to keep the border closed.

As bad as I feel for the innocent civilians, and especially the children, it is the people of Gaza who elected terrorists for their government, and they have to take responsibility to get rid of them. Gaza suffers more by the hands of Hamas than anyone, Israel or Egypt. Let's call a spade and spade! As long as Hamas controls Gaza, the innocent civilians and children will suffer.

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bayah Rhonda • Aug 16, 2014 at 05:37

In consideration of the statement made by the Hamas interior minister, in an interview with Al-Jazeera in which he stated "we are half of us Egyptian, and half of us are Saudi, why will you not help your brothers ? There are at least thirty entire families called AL MASRI living in Gaza"
So , it would seem that the Gazans are NOT in fact a people without a country , not at all. And it would also seem that Egypt does not want to help their brothers, for no other reason than they know what they would be importing into their borders." So, yes, this is Egypt's problem. A problem they have washed their hands of, in response to their desire to see Israel destroyed. A fact.

Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, a prisoner in Saudi Arabia who was sentenced to death as a minor, faces "death by crucifixion" after a final appeal has been dismissed. He was arrested in 2012 when he was just 17, during a crackdown on anti-government protests in the Shiite province of Qatif. According to the International Business Times, Al-Nimr was accused by the authorities of participation in illegal protests and of firearms offences, despite there being no evidence to justify the latter charge.